


The Calling

by Kangalia



Series: KHR AU - The Calling [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, BAMF Sawada Nana, F/M, Female Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-03-14 09:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13587456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kangalia/pseuds/Kangalia
Summary: Tsunakira Sawada was a failure of a Magister. She couldn’t summon her spirit flames, couldn’t learn anything academically, and couldn’t even call her Feles - her partner or ‘soulmate’ in the form of a domestic, super-flame-charged cat - to her on her thirteenth, coming-of-age birthday. Receding into herself, Tsunakira believes she’ll be alone for the rest of her life, to be forever known as broken.Then the pitch black Feles that looked like it’d been hit with a yellow paintball to the chest and had then stepped in the painted mess, appeared from nowhere and declared itself as her new teacher, all the while ignoring the obvious ‘you’re-a-human-and-I’m-a-cat’ issue (which turned out to be a very common thing, Tsunakira lamented).Life just got interesting… (Tsunakira’s famous last words)(Highly AU!!! As in ditches-canon-from-the-creation-of-the-world-AU!!! You have been warned!)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Familial Arco27, Romantic R27, Iemitsu!Bashing, OC-Brother-Of-Tsuna!Bashing, Fem!Tsuna, OCs, Highly AU
> 
> Disclaimer: I, under no circumstances, own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, any of its characters, or mechanisms. I only own my own plot and plot mechanics (such as Magisters, Feles and my own personal world) and am writing this for my own enjoyment. No money is being made off of this.
> 
> Disclaimer 2: The title came from a song called ‘The Calling’ (TheFatRat ft. Laura Brehm). Its lyrics hold no importance, although there is a slight correlation if you squint, but the picture I got this idea from was on the video for the nightcore version of the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57U_HGDfPm4). Plus, the humans in this ‘call’ their Feles to them, so it works.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backstories are always fun!... Well, not when you're Tsunakira Sawada.

The first time Tsunakira Sawada (subconsciously) realised she wasn’t really good enough for her family was when she was a year old. Before then was that funny time where everything a baby takes in blurs together and their parents don’t see the child do anything but eat, sleep, cry and dirty their nappies. Tsunakira, despite being the special little girl she was ( _ “Mama said so!” _ ) was no different, and only started realising that -  _ no, her father didn’t look at her the same way he did her older brother, who’s name she  _ still _ couldn’t pronounce _ \- even though she knew that he should. Mama looked at her with the same soft eyes and gentle smile on her face as she gave her blonde-haired, honey-brown eyed brother (who she’d heard Mama say was  _ “seven years old” _ , whatever that meant, which was virtually nothing but ‘older than her’ to her developing baby brain), meaning that her father should look at her like that too. Right?

Tsunakira had watched him in the rare intervals that he actually looked at her (which was around once a week, if she was lucky) and he never did, much to the young pre-toddler’s confusion. 

Her brother, she soon found out, was the same. 

He spent more time with her at the beginning and had originally looked at her with eyes that lit up with excitement (or at least she thought he did, being that she could only remember snatches of her life before she was six months old) but it didn’t last long. All she could really remember was her father shouting at her brother when the blonde man caught him playing with her and he stopped looking at her like Mama did after that. He stopped spending time with her too. He had got her a nice orange blanket with her initials in the corner for her first birthday, though, which she refused to go anywhere without, but Mama said that she couldn’t tell anyone because,  _ “It would get your nii-san in trouble with otou-san, Tsu-chan, and we can’t have that, now can we?” _ .

The tiny mind of hers had not fully connected all the dots yet, seeing as Tsunakira was a baby and lacked most of the social cues and appropriate responses learnt through growing up and maturing, so she didn’t really understand what the ‘cold eyes’ meant. All she knew was that it made something slimy uncoil in her stomach, and brought tears to her eyes whenever her father and brother looked at her like that. She tended to spend more time with Mama and avoid looking at the older males of the household after that particular revelation. 

Unfortunately, it only took another year before she realised that the horrible feeling in her gut that made her cry and feel horrible was actually the emotion of ‘sadness’. The only reason she’d known that was because she had been crying (she’d very clumsily tripped over the table leg a few months before her second birthday - in fact, now that she’d thought about it, she seemed to do that a lot for no apparent reason) and her Mama had soothed her, kissing the ‘boo-boo’ away and making her feel better;  _ “Why are you sad, Tsu-chan? Don’t be sad. Look, Mama will kiss it better. See?” _ . She knew that the feeling was not something she wanted to feel  _ ever again _ , and quickly learnt to associate ‘sadness’ with her father and brother. 

She guessed that was where their family started to fracture, not that she’d know at the time. She had only been a toddler after all.

* * *

 

When she’d turned four, she’d really started to understand that the way her father and brother treated her ( _ “Get me a beer, girl” - “Dame-Imouto. Leave me be.” _ ) was not right. Mama had brought her into the city to buy her whatever she wanted, and she’d dressed in her  _ bestest _ orange dress and sky-blue shoes. Her hair - light brown, like dull honey and incredibly spiky in it’s style - had been loose and a small, similarly blue-coloured headband had helped to keep her errant bangs out of her face. It was the most she’d ever been dressed up, and her entire body had  _ radiated _ excitement and hyperactivity as she’d hopped around, gawking at the bright lights and hanging structures surrounding her like a blanket of  _ home _ . Her home city had been called Tentorium (The Hanging City) for a reason. 

They’d visited the tailors (who Tsunakira couldn’t help but notice had been almost tripping over themselves to serve them, and she’d later realise that it was because the tailors  _ feared _ them) and Tsuna had got a custom-made, pretty little balero with a white base, a bronze clip to cinch both sides together and orange embroidered swirls along the edges.  _ “It’s very expensive, Tsu-chan, since it’s made out of pretty silk. You feel the fabric, right? That’s why it’s so smooth.” _ . She’d loved her Mama’s gift, and had refused to take it off for weeks. So, after putting it on her person with a huge thanks and blinding smile for the charmed tailors (who’d relaxed considerably during the entire ordeal), she’d waited patiently as her Mama drifted through the public sector of the clothing shop, browsing cute outfits for her baby girl and some more elegant dresses for herself. Then she’d noticed  _ them _ . 

They seemed to be a nondescript family - ordinary with a mother, father, a daughter and son, much like her own family. Their clothes looks more worn, and none of them had any silk, however, and Tsunakira quickly amounted that to them not having enough money to afford silk. Her Mama had said it was expensive, after all. Watching them interact and entirely zoning out her mother’s pleased, self-indulgent ramblings next to her, the brunette had expected to see the father and son order the daughter around, like her father and brother did with her and look at her with cold, distant eyes that were all too familiar. So, imagine little Tsunakira’s shock and utter disbelief when, not only did the father and brother smile and laugh with the youngest girl of their family, she seemed to be able to boss  _ them  _ around! She’d confronted her mother as soon as they’d gotten home ( _ “Remember, Tsu-chan. Personal problems are not to be discussed in the open. You never who is listening, hm?~” _ ) and she’d just looked at her with those sad, sad honey eyes, an unknown emotion she’d later learn was pity flickering in their depths, before sweeping her in a hug.  _ “Your otou-san and nii-san and wrong to treat you this way, Tsu-chan. Always remember that. You don’t deserve their… their… meanness. You’re my good little girl; my angel. Never you forget that, honey.” _ . 

That was the day she realised that her family was not all smiles and giggles as she’d come to think. She’d hoped, along with her Mama, that her  _ otou-sama  _ and  _ nii-sama _ would change - that they’d see the error in their ways and accept her. 

They never did.

* * *

 

Three years later, her Mama came barging into her room in middle of Tsunakira’s morning routine, causing the young child to jump, spinning around with wide, curious golden eyes and a white sweater half way over her shoulders. “Mama?”

“Tsu-chan!~ We’re going to return to my hometown! In Furrurae! How exciting!” The older lady bounded forwards, grinning and grabbing the girl, helping her get her sweater on before dumping a suitcase on her bed. “Pack all your things, Tsu-chan. We won’t be coming back here for a  _ very _ long time.” Leaving it on that ominous note, the woman had just bounced out of the room, undoubtedly to get ready herself, leaving a very shell-shocked and disbelieving little  seven year old brunette in her wake, staring at the empty, open doorway with a slack jaw. “Wha…”

Three weeks later, Tsunakira had managed to screw it up already and as she timidly approached her seat at the back of the room next to the corner farthest from the window, blushing in embarrassment at the cruel whispers and scathing remarks already being thrown her way, Tsunakira couldn’t help but wonder what deity she’d managed to anger in her past life. 

She also wondered if life would ever improve for her and her mother, and was surprisingly answered. Even if it was in a rather… unorthodox way.

* * *

 

Tsunakira, just a year into her teens, stared down at the small, black cat with a front left paw and chest coloured with bright yellow, and offered a nervous smile, backing away in order to not get mauled to death by a wild,  _ unbonded _ magical cat. Then, it spoke.

“Ciaossu. My name is Reborn, and I’m a Sun-oriented Feles. You interest me, and so I’ll be teaching you from now on.” 

_ “...WHAT?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the first (sort of) chapter for this story! Updates will be sporadic, since I have currently not finished the story at all, but I couldn't wait anymore before posting this prologue. Which will probably be the only thing on this story posted for a while until I get a good few chapters aheadof where I am now. Welp. 
> 
> Anyway, if you enjoyed, please comment and leave kudos and all critisism is welcome (as long as it isn't shamelessly insulting, but post it anyway :P).


	2. Chapter 1 - It Begins...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunakira attends and fails her own graduation ceremony, gets her heart shattered and will broken too many times and meets someone who will irreversibly change the course of her future forever.

Tsunakira Sawada, the newly-christened thirteen-year-old dame girl, had not expected much from that day. She never did expect much from her days anymore, for there was no point looking forward to living in a world that so blatantly hated her. Nothing ever changed anyway and the fact that it was supposed to be her ‘graduation’ ceremony that day didn’t do much at all to change the teen’s attitude, except a slight rise in her nerves.

Turns out, she should have expected even  _ less _ than she usually did.

 

* * *

 

Staring in horror at the slowly receding glow of the summoning sigil carved into the wall a few feet in front of her, Tsunakira felt the world crash to the ground around her, the mocking jeers of her classmates bleeding into her brain.  _ “No… Please, god, no… Don’t do this to me! Please, let me have a Feles, please! PLEASE!” _ But no-one answered her unspoken plea and Tsunakira felt like she was splintering. Her head told her to move, but her legs were frozen in place, the one thing that terrified every young teenager having just occurred to the one girl who believed her life was already as worthless as it could get.

Tsunakira could still remember the events that had led to the utterly devastating moment quite clearly…

 

* * *

 

Tsunakira blinked the last vestiges of sleep from the corner of her eyes, tiredly staring up at the oak beams above her head as a very familiar, obnoxious ringing echoed through her left ear and pierced directly into her skull. Groaning as she sat up, her sheets pooling around her waist, the young girl covered her eyes with an arm to shield herself from a badly-angled sun beam that had attacked her eyes, the other limb scrambling blindly for the clock that was  _ still ringing! _ Slumping in ease as the horribly shrill screaming abruptly cut off, her finger having found the button and shoved it down with possibly too much force, Tsunakira heaved herself from her bed. She removed the arm on her eyes as she turned away from morning sun and instead scanned her bedroom. She spotted her school uniform quickly, having remembered that she’d haphazardly thrown them to the floor the night before (she winced at the creases she could imagine being thoroughly implanted into the fabric) and stumbled to her feet to retrieve them. 

A rather large clanging from below the girl made her jump out of her skin, before tripping over a discarded book and only just preventing herself from face planting the floor by catching her hand on the edge of her oak bedpost. Exhaling heavily in relief (she wasn’t too fond of beginning the morning with a black eye, thank you very much) Tsunakira scooped up her clothes and made her way to the bathroom opposite her bedroom, absently flinching whenever the sounds from below  _ ‘and slightly to the northeast - mama’s in the kitchen, then’ _ hit a particular pitch and volume. The brunette quickly and effectively changed into her clothes, going about her morning traditions and hurried along by the delectable smells wafting up the stairs. Tsunakira could never and would never be able to resist her mother’s divine cooking. 

“Good morning, mama.” Tsunakira called as she miraculously descended the stairs without tripping. Her mother, a traditional Furrarrae beauty with light brown, wavy hair cut to shoulder length and warm, honey-brown eyes, twirled gracefully to face her daughter, a pleasant smile gracing her face. “Good morning, honey! Did you sleep well?” The younger girl smiled, humming her affirmative as she moved further into the kitchen and took a seat at the table where her breakfast ( _ “Ah, mama went for pancakes today.” _ ) was already waiting for her. Her mother all but danced around the kitchen, the woman’s limitless grace still awe inspiring to her daughter despite seeing it every day. On her bad days, she even wondered what had gone wrong for her to not received her mother’s incredible dexterity.  _ “I wish I had mama’s grace. I’m not even sure where my clumsiness came from. Must be my baka-otou-sama…” _ Sighing and pushing the memories of ice-cold, blue eyes and a rough, cruel voice from her mind, the girl snapped her chopsticks and clapped her hands together, eyes closed. “Itadakimasu.” Her mother, who’d sat down opposite her a few moments beforehand, echoed her daughter’s prayer before the pair both started eating, the ominous ticking of the clock behind Nana weighing heavily in both of their minds. It wouldn’t do for Tsunakira to be late, after all.

Twenty minutes later, Tsunakira was packing her school bag as quickly as possible, eyes flashing towards the clock every now and then while trying to stop it and therefore time, from moving any further towards the fateful hour of eight o’clock. She wanted to spend more time with her mama, god-dammit! Was that too much to ask? “Tsu-chan! You need to leave now or you’ll be late!”

Evidently, it was.

“Okay mama! I’m leaving now!” Tsunakira hefted her book-bag onto her shoulder, the handle only just large enough to accommodate it and scurried to the front door. Sitting down heavily, the fourteen-year-old started to fly through tying her laces, not unaware that it had just reached the dreaded time and if she did not leave right that second, she would not make it to school. A half an hour walk was named that for a reason, after all. 

Flying to her feet with a grunt, her leg muscles protesting at the rather violent action, Tsunakira was about to sprint from the door of her home before she was engulfed in a hug from behind. “M-Mama?” Eyes wide, Tsunakira slowly turned around to face her mother, the woman who had basically raised her for her entire life on her own (despite the heavy weight of her marriage vows symbolised on the woman’s left hand) and very nearly panicked at the tears in her mother’s eyes. “M-Mama! What- why- what’s wrong?!” The older woman gave out a choked laugh before sweeping her daughter into her arms once again for another brief hug. “I’m so proud of you, Tsu-chan. No matter what happened today, no matter if you get your Feles or not, I’ll always be proud of you. Never forget that, my baby.” Tsunakira’s face relaxed as she gazed at her mother’s smiling face. The brunette girl smiled, absolute adoration for the woman in front of her shining for her eyes as she gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, mama.”

Then, the moment was broken by Tsunakira’s eyes meeting the clock and reading the time it displayed with wide eyes.  _ 8:10 _ .  _ “Crap!” _

“I’m gonna’ be late! Bye mama! Love you!” Tsunakira tore through the door, racing down the dirt track that was the only connection between the residential and business districts of her small town of Flores and prayed that she wouldn’t be late. She didn’t need  _ another _ black mark on her record, on her graduation day no less!

As Nana watched her daughter sprint away, she leaned against the door frame and sighed heavily, eyes drifting to watch two hawks frolic in the aquamarine sky.  _ “Please watch over her, Mother. Look after your granddaughter today and guide her towards the right path. I fear I will lose her if you don’t.” _ Turning away, the brunette woman’s face schooled itself into a perfect mask of joyful obliviousness as she swept back into her home, never noticing the way the roots of her hair darkened to reveal a rich mahogany brown. She never saw the small juneberry tree in her front yard fly into bloom within seconds, either.

 

* * *

 

Tsunakira panted as she power-walked through the corridors of her school, making a beeline for her classroom. She’d heard the start-of-day bell start to ring as she'd crossed the threshold into the school and so had thankfully avoided getting a dressing down from the sneering teacher manning the front gate. The two boys behind her weren’t as lucky. However, it hadn’t aided her in getting to her classroom on time either.

Slowing as she neared the dreaded door, already hearing the self-righteous monologuing of her homeroom teacher, Nezu-sensei, from further down the hall, the girl faced the dilapidated hunk of oak (her school could not afford the new plastic and metal doors that were revolutionising buildings in the capitals. No-one in Flores could, so they had to make do with wood) and took a deep breaths to settle herself.

Mentally slapping her cheeks to get her head into gear, the girl didn’t let herself hesitate for another moment and instead stepped forward with purpose, eyes bright with determination as she clasped the handle of her classroom door and wrenched it open with purpose. It clattered into the wall with a bang, making the poor girl jump, her previous bravado slipping from her fingers like grains of sand as she took in her jeering classmates’ faces. Of course, never one to pass up on an opportunity to push Tsunakira down to make himself feel better, Nezu-sensei decided to humiliate her even more. “See here, children.  _ This _ is what you will become if you do not follow my teachings! I have the approval and a signed certificate by the head of the educational board of Furrarre to teach at this establishment so you should follow my lead, young ones!”

Tsunakira hunched her shoulders, head bowed as she trudged to the back of the classroom, dodging wayward feet that just  _ happened _ to get in her way and trying to shield her heart from the laughter of her classmates when she stumbled on a foot that shot out at the last moment. It was degrading, even bordering on abuse, but she was the useless,  _ flameless _ kid so apparently that meant free game to the other children. It was nothing she wasn’t used to, anyway. 

Sighing as she regained her footing and slumped heavily into her seat (thankfully placed in the corner furthest away from the window, meaning it was very easy to hide in the classroom’s shadows and avoid her teachers’ potential questions), Tsunakira quickly took out her necessary equipment before resting her head on her arms, planning on daydreaming the lesson away. As Nezu-sensei’ droning voice continued to flatter himself for a few minutes before finally moving moving onto the lesson, Tsunakira tried to put the nagging feeling of doubt and anticipation (of what, she had no idea) from her mind. There was no reason to be nervous for the graduation ceremony in the afternoon, for less than five percent of all magisters in the world are rejected by their Feles, no matter how useless they are. Tsunakira couldn’t have that much bad luck, could she?

 

* * *

 

Trudging after her class, who were buzzing with excitement as they made their way through the forest and towards the clearing their graduation would be held in, Tsunakira couldn’t help but frown as the feeling of dread crept up her spine like a predator stalking prey. She just knew that something Very Bad was about to happen, but she had no idea what (she was ignoring the obvious answer, ice-cold terror stopping her from thinking of that particular reason). It didn’t help that it was also sending her contradicting feelings, alternating between Very Good and Very Bad the closer she got the clearing. She’d always had small feelings of emotions relating to an event and knew that ignoring it them would not be good for her or those around her but at this point in time she really didn’t have a choice. Knowing her teachers, she’d just be banned from the ceremony if she tried to do anything about her ‘sense’ and she was not willing to risk her potential success and future happiness for something she wasn’t sure meant anything significant in the first place. 

Jolting to a stop as her class abruptly stopped, Tsunakira couldn’t help but share in their gasps of awe as she saw the clearing they were about to be stepping into. It seemed more like a large, rounded-rectangular room made entirely of trees than a clearing in the middle of a forest, the walls made of tightly-packed tree trunks and interconnected branches. The ‘roof’ was entirely made of the crown of all of the trees making up the walls without any of the expected sunlight that should have filtered through the leaves to light up the room. Instead, the roof was so thick and the walls so thoroughly pressed together that no light entered the room but from the large archway the children were silently huddled within. The entire room should have been pitch black but seemingly to make up for this inconveniencing fact, tiny glowing flecks floated in the space just below the roof, some drifting down to meander through the students as if welcoming them. They gave off a soft green light, illuminating the room and casting ethereal shadows against the walls and floors. However, instead of making the place seem terror-inducing, the shadows and beams of soft warmth only added to the magical feel of the place. Tsunakira could easily sense the wisps of flames dancing through the air (for sensing was the one talents that she had that the rest of classmates did not possess) and it mesmerised her, feeling those tendrils wrap comfortingly around her like a blanket. The one type that seemed to greet her like an old friend was always glowing softly orange, tickling her senses and assaulting her with random feelings and the images they conjured, such as when her mother assured her that she had done nothing wrong that one time her father had roared at her in a drunken rage. It was hypnotising. 

“Welcome, students, to the graduation hall. This is where the power of your flames will be tested one last time before you will progress to meeting your Feles and bonding with them. The best of luck to all of you and I look forward to hearing of your future successes once you leave this fine establishment.” Tsunakira’s attention snapped back to the teacher who ran the graduation ceremonies (and also the one teacher who treated her like everyone else, if not nicer), blushing with a pleased smile on her face as the older woman shot a discreet thumbs at the brunette student as she walked by. Following the rest of the students into the middle of the clearing, Tsunakira was rendered speechless as the full brunt of the magic swimming in the air assaulted her, momentarily blinding her with waves of vibrantly coloured light. Coming back to herself, she blinked, almost as if she’d been detached from the world, before glancing around to spot everyone else’s reactions. However, there were none. It seemed as if they’d never seen anything out of the ordinary at all. Tsunakira frowned.  _ “Odd…” _

“Come now children! Please form a horizontal line in front of and facing the summoning altar and await further instructions!” Tsunakira did as asked, following behind her other school mates and staying as inconspicuous as possible while listening intently to the summoning teacher go through the ritual once again. The woman’s Feles, a fluffy tabby Persian was currently wounding itself around the more nervous children’s ankles, soothing them with purrs and rumbles. It made Tsunakira smile softly; she wanted a Feles just like that. Loving, sociable and kind.

The woman smiled gently to all of them, looking Tsunakira herself in the eye and winking when the other students weren’t looking. Tsunakira grinned back, shooting a discreet thumbs up at the woman. She was only teacher who cared for her like (or possibly more than) a normal student and so was the only teacher she held any respect or fondness for. However, she  _ was _ a teacher where favoritism was frowned upon and so the blonde lady quickly turned back to the rest of the class and began calling names up to the summoning altar. The first person, a girl by the name Kaya Akiyama, stepped forward, her hands trembling despite the wide and confident grin on her face. Tsunakira glanced around, although no-one else seemed to notice, for they were smiling and grinning, cheering the girl on. She quickly reached the summoning altar and chanted the words of bonding, the altar lighting up blue with the colour of her flames. Only a few seconds later, a large feline shape pranced out of the shadows, making a ruckus as it announced its presence. A bright white oriental cat with a line of blue leading from its forehead, running down its spine and ending at the tip of its tail, stalked forwards, body swaying as it’s bright blue eyes sparkled and sung with the magic of their surroundings. All of the students gasped in awe, whispering among themselves for a few moments and even Tsunakira herself admitted that it was a stunning Feles. Kaya seemed mighty pleased with herself, the girl smiling and exchanging a greeting with the cat. She then opened her arms and the oriental leapt from the ground and into her arms, being carried to the side of the room while Kaya’s teachers congratulated her warmly. The other students clapped politely, a small handful being genuine in their happiness for their friend, but it soon settled down quickly and more names were called. Feles of all sizes, breeds and colours emerged from the thick forest in front of them, no student having failed to summon their lifelong partner to themselves. This should have reassured Tsunakira, but instead it only made her more nervous. 

“Sawada Tsunakira! Please step up to the summoning altar and begin!” The brunette gulped, stumbling forward as the hall descended into silence. She quickly ascended the steps and entered the summoning circle, facing the great stone rock with the faintly glowing sigil carved into its centre. She could immediately see the bonds and waves of multi-coloured light racing from this one central pillar outwards, filling the hall with magic and light only she could see (not that she knew that at the time). Sighing, Tsunakira shut her eyes to brace and prepare herself before she lifted her dominant right hand, beginning to chant.  _ “Oh Mother of the Forests of Old, guide my soulmate to meet me in this place of reckoning and bless our union under your watchful eye. Come forth, my other half and let us be joined under the roof of these sacred trees of Origin!” _ Immediately, the sigil exploded into colour, white bleeding into orange so rapidly that it would seem to be an instantaneous change to the human eye. Tsunakira snapped her eyes open and gasped, only just stopping herself from dropping her hand and accidentally cancelling the ritual. She immediately heard her classmates call out in alarm only to be shushed by the teachers, who sounded nervous themselves. However, Tsunakira took the explosion of light as a good thing; none of her classmates had had reactions anywhere close to hers and so the amount of power must be a good thing, right? Her classmates’ chattering rose to a fever pitch as the sigil glowed even brighter, the wind picking up and catching the trees in its gusts. The magic in the room, previously stagnant and hanging in waves of still light, began to writhe and twirl, dancing around the room above everyone’s head, the students and teachers alike still unaware. A wide smile broke out on the brunette’s face when she spotted and black shape slinking through the trees, only noticeable by their flicker of bright yellow power briefly highlighting them in Tsunakira’s sight.  _ “Yes! This is it! I’m finally going to meet my Feles!” _

Then, it all just… stopped. 

The winds died down, the altar slowly dimming and fading back to its neutral white colour. Tsunakira had the sudden urge to drop her hand and she did so, scanning the tree line for that flicker of yellow and the shadow she’d seen before. However, where there were clearly shapes moving through the trees beforehand, now there was only muted silence. Whispers picked up behind the girl as tears sprang to her eyes, head whipping back and forth in a desperate attempt to spot anything-  _ anything _ that might lead to the entrance of her Feles. But, there was nothing. Her classmates started to giggle and jeer, calling out cruely and laughing despite the teacher’s rather lackluster attempts to stop them. However, one statement, made in the heat of the moment but not wrong, stood out to her the most; “Sawada’s Feles  _ rejected _ her!”. Laughter immediately started, footsteps making their way towards her. However, Tsunakira just stood there, staring brokenly at the treeline as if willing anyone to walk out and shout  _ “Surprise!” _ . But once again, there was nothing. Warm hands encompassed the stricken brunette’s shoulders, the familiar voice of her favourite teacher attempting to soothe her as she led Tsunakira back down the steps and away from the slowly dimming sigil. However, as she stepped through the crowd of her jeering classmates and teachers who turned their backs on her, Tsunakira realised that was it. Any chance of her having a good life was now over.  People looked on at people like her as if they were dirt under their boots and very few people even thought of giving them any kindness; there was no other consequence to your Feles rejecting you and despite her wishing it, she was no exception. The chants of her former classmates told her that much; ( _ “Ha! She’s not even good enough to be Dame-Tsuna anymore!” _

_ “Yeah! She should be called Kowareta(Broken)-Tsuna instead!” _

_ “Here, here! Kowareta-Tsuna!” _

_ “Run home to mummy, Kowareta-Tsuna!” _ ). She just knew that there was very little point to her life now. No-one without a Feles ever got anywhere in their world, the public seeing them as defective or even soulfully impaired, unless they had some sort of incredibly valuable skill. Following that logic, it was laughable to think that Tsunakira would ever get  _ anywhere _ in their world. She would forever be a useless magister.

The pair of yellow, cat-like eyes peering from the darkness of the forest, just behind where the sigil had long-since dulled along with the insistent tugging in the centre of their chest, watched the retreating form of the heartbroken girl and thought otherwise.

 

* * *

 

“Mama! I’m home…” The brunette trailed off, sighing heavily as she forced herself to drag her uncooperating body through the door. It had been a month since school had officially ended, a month since she failed to summon her Feles, a month since they  _ rejected her! _ \- Tsunakira’s eyes burned at the memory and she frowned, viciously wiping at her eyes to prevent any tears from falling. She would  _ not _ cry! She’d already shed enough tears already to last a lifetime, she didn’t need to add any more. 

“Welcome home honey! Perfect timing; dinner’s just about ready. We’re having Tonkatsu today, so hurry up and get changed!” Her mother’s words immediately lifted the brunette’s mood as she grinned, all but flinging her shoes off her feet and running up the stairs in her newfound enthusiasm. No-one could beat her mother’s cooking, her Tonkatsu being her best dish (in Tsunakira’s opinion). It helped that it was her favourite food as well!

Sprinting down the stairs after changing from her foraging clothes (a short, mocha-coloured-fabric dress with rough leather boots and tough, wear-and-tear tights) into a simple pair of leggings, a t-shirt and her favourite wooly jumper, Tsunakira all but sprinted into the kitchen and stopped dead, narrowly missing her mother who had just placed the younger girl’s dinner on the table. “Oh honey! You should slow down! You don’t want to knock your dinner on the floor, do you?” Nana chided playfully, Tsunakira gasping melodramatically as she caught onto her mother’s teasing mood. “Of course not, dear mother mine! I was just excited to sample your divine cooking once again!” Both women dissolved into giggles as they sat down the eat, the light hearted banter continuing all through dinner. Well, it did until Nana decided to change the subject. “So, dearie, how was your latest little trip.” Tsunakira brightened up, mind going back to her last little training escapade in the forests surrounding their village. 

“Oh it was great, mama! I saw so many deer and even helped a baby fox find its mother! I went a little further today and met a rather wide river, but it wasn’t any problem crossing it since there was a fallen tree a few feet downstream and after it, there was an adorable little pond with the cleanest water you’ve ever seen!” Nana chuckled, watching the her daughter’s sparkling eyes go distance as she seemingly remembered her exciting trip into the forest that day. She’d been going ever since a week after the end of school, since that was right around the time she’d bucked herself back up after wallowing in grief over the lack of her Feles. Nana knew that her daughter had been - and still was - the furthest from okay despite her constant reassurance and the mother only hoped that her daughter finally found something that she could enjoy instead of taking on these new excursions as a way of escaping reality just as she herself had done all those years ago. It was troubling but Nana was at a loss of what to do for her daughter and decided that the best way to help her heal was to just be there for her. Just like he had been. 

“Honey, you know that you don’t need to prove anything to me, right? This week-long trip tomorrow, just enjoy it okay? Don’t think out anyone but yourself for once. Okay?” Tsunakira grew quiet as she watched her mother’s face contort into a frown of concern and tried to plaster a large smile on her face. 

“I’m okay mum! I wouldn’t be willing to stay out in a forest for a week alone if I didn’t enjoy it!” Nana’s frown deepened.

“Tsu-chan…” Tsunakira sighed as she realised she wasn’t going to fool her mother and instead went for the honest truth. She knew the woman deserved at least that much for having to put up with her. The brunette gave her mother a shaky, resigned but completely genuine smile and removed the fake enthusiasm from her voice. “Trust me mama. I want- no, I  _ need _ to do this. After that…  _ incident _ last month I need to find something I enjoy. And I think I’ve found it. So don’t worry about me, mama. Okay? I’ll be fine. I just need some time to heal.” Nana’s face cleared up, a small smile of understanding lighting up her face. 

“Okay darling. Just know that I love you, okay? I’ll never stop loving you, Feles or not.” Tsunakira smiled, brighter and that much happier this time.

“I know mama. I love you too.”

As Tsunakira was laying in bed that night, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and watching the shadows dance above her, she wasn’t sure if what she’d said to her mother a few hours beforehand had been true or not. Maybe she’d become so adept at lying to herself that she’d come to delude even her own mind with her own deceptions. 

As expected, the brunette didn’t get much sleep that night.

 

* * *

 

Wandering through the forest in her foraging clothes, her backpack, which was resting against her shoulders, containing her essentials and care packages from her mother for the week ahead, Tsunakira sighed as she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Looking for something that she enjoyed doing was one thing, but what if she was just running from her problems? Maybe she was just that much of a coward and liar that her mind was convincing her body that this was the correct option even if it was just the easiest? She didn’t know. She only hoped that that wasn’t the case.

A branch snapped to her right, Tsunakira spinning around and trying to track the rustle of bushes, unnatural in the natural stillness of the forest. For weeks she’d been feeling eyes on her whenever she entered the forest, little scorching pinpricks on her back that would disappear briefly whenever she tried to locate the culprit, only to appear a few moments later. She’d become adept at ignoring them mostly, although her mind was always tracking them as best as she could, for she had no idea if they were friend or foe. She was hoping for the former. However, what the person or thing following her had  _ never _ done was get close enough to her for her to hear them. That she was sure of.

Changing behavioral patterns of animals (and yes, that included humans) was never a good sign, she knew that much.

However, all she could do was continue on her well-worn path, trying to reach her makeshift campsite as soon as possible. All it was really was a patch of dirt at the base of a huge oak tree that she could comfortably sleep in, shielded from the elements whenever needed. She’d discovered it when she’d been caught out in the middle of a rainstorm, having been forced to take shelter before she was drenched. Unfortunately, she’d found the small opening so late that her getting soaked to the bone really hadn’t been avoided, nor had the dreadful cold she’d caught afterwards, but she’d gained a safe place to hide from dangerous animals and anything else mother nature could throw at her and so she was incredibly grateful for it.

As she reached the base of the tree, Tsunakira dropped her backpack off of her shoulders, which hit the group with a heavy thud, before beginning to stretch satisfyingly. Then, she froze. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, the air shifting and becoming almost threatening. The wind picked up ominously, trees swaying and creating enough noise that was easy for her to miss the small pitter-patter of feet creeping up behind her. What she  _ did _ notice, however, was the very familiar scorching eyes staring at her back and the girl slowly turned around, ready to confront what had been stalking her so effectively for the last few weeks. Instead of some great beast she’d expected, or even a rather insane magister with murderous tendencies, Tsunakira came face to face with… A Feles. A pitch black Feles with one bright yellow paw and the same blinding colour splattered across its chest, almost as if someone had shot it with a paintball gun (one of the few ‘modern’ toys that had found its way to their little secluded town. The boys had  _ great _ fun tormenting her with them. Bright neon pink paint hadn't come out of her skin for  _ weeks _ ). It was just calmly sat there, blinking at her with its bright yellow eyes and looked completely unassuming. However, Tsunakira knew better. One of the first rules that her teachers had successfully drilled into her head was that an unbonded Feles was a  _ dangerous _ Feles. They were exactly like wild animals; they had no extra emotions or power to balance their own, making them highly unpredictable and very likely to attack. Plus, the more colour in their coat meant the stronger their flames were, which made them even more dangerous and Tsunakira had  _ never _ seen a Feles with as much flame colour on it as the one sat in front of her, not even in their textbooks. It was  _ terrifying _ .

Tsunakira backed up slowly, offering a nervous smile to creature in front of her while carefully lifting her arms in front her her, palms forward. She hoped to everything above that the sign for peace was universal, otherwise she don’t know what she’d do. The Feles tracked her movements almost leisurely, not at all concerned with her and for one moment, Tsunakira believed that she’d actually escape this little encounter unharmed. Unfortunately, she seemed to have jinxed herself, for at that moment, the Feles made a rather human-like sigh and got up, following after the girl. Immediately, she panicked, tripping backwards in her effort to get away, but one small action stopped her dead in her tracks, frozen like a deer in headlights with wide, disbelieving eyes trained on the animal she believed was about to maul her to death. 

It  _ spoke _ .

Now, that in itself wasn’t too shocking; Feles bonded with magisters talked everyday if their combined flames were powerful and plentiful enough to sustain their speech, but that in itself was why Tsunakira was so shocked. Unbonded Feles  _ never _ contained enough power to speak, so the fact that this one did (and it was clearly unbonded. Tsunakira was rather decent at Flame Sensing and that fact that the Feles’ flames were roiling and writhing with as much chaos at they were all but told her that it was unbonded), was mind boggling to the girl.

“Stop. I’m not going to harm you, stupid magister.” Tsunakira watched as the Feles sat down once more once she’d stopped and moving and decided that it was probably for the best for her to remain stationary. Best  _ not _ to provoke the Feles with enough power and Flames to  _ speak _ without being bonded. “No need to introduce yourself. I know all about you already. My name is Reborn. As you have already deducted by now, I am a Sun-oriented Feles. I saw you a while ago when you unknowingly trespassed into my territory and decided to follow you around for a while since I was, quite frankly, bored.” Tsunakira just stared disbelievingly at the now confirmed male Feles, not entirely fathoming that she was having a conversation with such a powerful, unbonded Feles on that animals  _ whim _ . “You’ve managed to peak my interest, which I should congratulate you for but don’t really feel like doing. However, I’ve found you woefully unsatisfactory and being a sort-of-teacher myself, your uneducated state rubs my fur up the wrong way. So, I’ll be teaching you from now on. Understood?”

Tsunakira just blinked. Then she processed all of that. Blinked again and after a second of silence, she promptly exploded.

“WHAT?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve finally got this out for you guys! Sorry about the horrendous wait, but my muse has been dead these last few months that I’ve only been able to add a small paragraph or so every other week, meaning this chapter progressed very slowly.
> 
> Hopefully it didn't progress too quickly, nor too slowly. My pacing is something that I struggle with but I believe this chapter went well. Please leave a comment with any suggestions you have to do with my writing style or the story content that you want included (e.g. a scene you want written). I hope you all enjoyed and I’ll see you next time!


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